Escapism // dreamnotfound

1

11:55 PM.

George yawned as he walked. He had spent the whole day on his feet, foraging for potion ingredients. A year ago, he hadn't had to travel so far for what he needed. He had the forest's new species of rabbits to thank for his bi-monthly excursions. Who knew such little creatures could eat so many leaves, conveniently rich in potion making properties?

The longer trips weren't that  much of a burden, if the archer was being honest with himself. They helped him get to know his woods better, and leave the cottage he spent most of his time around. That, and they were a good way to clear his head. You'd think he'd have too much time to think in the middle of nowhere, but..

George had an-all too clear view of the main city from his back porch- the cottage had been built right on the edge, where steep cliff met solid ground. Its not like one could see individual people clearly from that high up, but you could still tell when something interesting was happening. People gathering. Something in the air. 

He felt it. Without seeing anything directly, George knew something was stirring. The way the wind blew in the trees, how the birds high above him were making more noise than usual. "Maybe I should prepare for a storm.." He muttered to himself, adjusting the rough hewn pack on his slim shoulders. Nature usually gave subtle warnings like this when upsets were to come- it was up to the interpreter to read between the lines.

11:58 PM.

A single, young fawn stood in the moonlight around 15 meters away from him, it's fur gleaming. George couldn't help but break into a small, soft smile as he took notice of the animal. 

"Hey there, friend." He cooed in a soft voice to the animal. It's head poked out of the grass, and gave a slight tilt, which made George's smile even bigger. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you." He  slowly began to walk towards the fawn, who showed no signs of running- only curiosity.

Ten meters. Five.

George maintained as slow a pace as humanly possible as the distance between him and the fawn depleted. He held out his hand, and as the fawn inclined it's small head to his pale fingers, George's foot crushed a small branch underneath his foot. It made a small and sudden sound that even gave George a start.

A distant clocktower struck midnight.

The fawn, and George, stood very still-

And then the siren began.

As one could imagine, the fawn hastened into the safety of the woods. Our archer, however, became more still than he had been in months. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. The siren. The damn prison siren. George couldn't fathom how, but he had escaped. That could be the only reason for the ear-splitting sound rattling through the trees.

As he stood there, motionless, he found himself starting to be overcome with... worry? What is wrong with me? George's hands moved to his ears and his now shaky limbs continued to trek through the woods. The cottage was only around 10 minutes out, now, and he needed to be home.

__________________________

Splish, Splash.

Clop, Clop.

"Cold...." the man rasped out into the red-cloaked back of his savior. He was fading in and out of consciousness, glimmers of passing trees and the sounds of the horse's whines being all his half-lidded eyes could register. 

"Not much I can do about that right now, soldier. Just hold out until we find shelter. I'll be pissed if you die on me after all that." Techno scoffed. The warrior wasn't doing too well himself, either. Debris from the explosion had taken out one of his eyes, and he found himself having to wipe blood off of his lips every few minutes; that and the burns on his arms from the prison lava stung like salt in a wound. And, he was extremely exhausted. That was dangerous in and of itself. Even though Dream was light and malnourished, carrying him on his shoulder for nearly half a mile to get to his steed was excruciating.